[New Film] Nouvelle Vague classic 'Celine and Julie Go Boating' gets first Korean release after 52 years

The return of a Nouvelle Vague master who blurred the line between reality and fiction

Jacques Rivette, a leading figure in the 'Nouvelle Vague' movement that drove innovation in French cinema, will finally meet Korean audiences with his landmark film 'Celine and Julie Go Boating' (1974). Distributor 'Lighthouse' said the film will open nationwide on the 30th, marking its 'first release in Korea' 52 years after its debut.

The film follows the surreal adventures of 'Julie' (played by Dominique Labourier), a library clerk, and 'Celine' (played by Juliet Berto), a third-rate club magician. The story begins with the women's chance encounter and takes Julie to a mysterious mansion where 'Celine' once worked as a nanny, setting off an unpredictable chain of events. After leaving the mansion, 'Julie' loses her memory and pursues fragmented truths through candy in her pocket. The film reaches its climax as the two women directly cross the boundary between fiction and reality to uncover what happened.

By firmly rejecting the formulaic plots of conventional commercial cinema, the film creates a singular aesthetic in which fantasy and reality intersect in strange ways. Its experimental direction, in which the characters actively enter a fictional narrative, is widely regarded as a major influence on master filmmaker 'David Lynch' and his film 'Mulholland Drive' (2001). In 2015, the 'Film Society of Lincoln Center', a prestigious New York film institution, held a special series presenting the two directors' works side by side, formally recognizing the aesthetic connection between the two masterpieces.

'Jacques Rivette', a critic-turned-director who helped lead the golden age of French cinema alongside 'Jean-Luc Godard' and 'François Truffaut', built a body of audacious work throughout his life that tested the limits of the medium. The film won the 'Special Jury Prize' at the 27th 'Locarno Film Festival' in 1974, earning early recognition for its artistic merit. Its timeless artistic achievement is expected to leave modern cinephiles with a lasting visual impression.